Unprepared: A Levi Ackerman Love Story
by QueenElric19
Summary: After Levi's apartment caught flame, he became practically homeless, and was left to search for shelter with little to no options. For once in his life, he didn't know what to do. He was completely lost. And that was when she appeared. Erica, already tugging her two four year old twins as a single mother along, invited him to stay with them. And now, Levi doesn't want to leave.
1. Prologue

"What the _hell_ are you doing?" Levi snarled; appalled at the sight in front of him.

Currently, a group of flamboyantly dressed individuals stood at the entrance of his apartment - the door ajar - muttering nonsense about what a troublesome task they were facing. Two were female, and another three were male, and they congregated with a leisured stance that did not fit the current situation. A puff of smoke wafted up over their heads in a wispy sort of way, alerting one of the men, who laughed boisterously, before shooting a soft stream of foam from a fire extinguisher he held in his left hand. The others around him laughed with him, still oblivious to Levi's presence; idiotically thinking that his irresponsible acts were the funniest thing in the world.

Levi strode closer; his eyebrows furrowed, and his lips set in a deep frown.

Others - all similarly dressed, most in neon yellow and plastic helmets - stood just inside his apartment, sifting through the rubble that was once his belongings. One big man carried an ax, and with a single flick of his wrists, sent the blade into his kitchen door. Levi did not flinch at the sound, nor at the splintering and charred wood flying through the air, but he did however begin to fume even more violently as he took in the full view of his once proud and prestigious home.

Walls and marble countertops that were once sparkling with cleanliness now showed the clear aftereffects of a terrible fire; the floor being the worst of it all, with loads of what could only be described as junk littered about in colossal piles. His ceiling fan sat in a heap on the floor - whatever parts of it made out of wood being completely gone - and it buzzed uselessly with its ever infinite purpose of spinning on its own hinge. He longed to spit at it, just to short circuit it and put it out of its misery, but as the group outside did not look willing to let any passerby inside, despite the fact that he owned the place, he did no such thing. Instead, he settled for stalking over to the most annoying looking fireman of them all; person in question being a fragile man in his late forties.

"What happened to my apartment?" he seethed; close to his absolute breaking point. His fists clenched around the bag of groceries he had just purchased; and his glare became steadily more deadly as the seconds passed without a reply.

The man took in a visibly large gulp of air, obviously terrified.

"D-Do you live here?" he stuttered, and in response, Levi scoffed.

"Of course I live here, Brat. Are you an idiot?"

The man stifled a whimper. "I-I'm sorry. That makes sense. My bad."

Levi was about to reprimand him again, but all of a sudden, a caramel-skinned hand appeared on the man's shoulder. Levi traced the arm back to the owner, coming face to face - or rather, face to shoulder, as this man practically dwarfed Levi's pathetic height - with one of the other men still standing there; the one who had shot the foam into the air. Levi's lips pulled further downwards into a deeper frown.

His hair was a dark blonde, and he had an impressive beard coming in, but Levi barely allowed himself to take in his appearance as he spit out a now repeated question.

"What _happened_ to my apartment?"

This one wasn't so afraid of the shorter man.

"A fuse blew in your kitchen's wiring," he answered, immediately continuing. "The spark caught flame instantly, and it engulfed your entire kitchen before one of your neighbors noticed the smoke and alerted the fire department." He paused for a moment. "We stopped it before it destroyed your apartment completely, so there may still be something salvageable in the back room." _That was Levi's bedroom._ "They'll probably let you check once we're finished with the investigation, but it'll be a while, so you might want to-"

Levi cut him off by mercilessly brushing past him. Like hell he was waiting for these idiots.

"Sir, you can't just-"

"Shut up, Brat!"

Still completely pissed, Levi marched through his demolished kitchen, startling the many workers still inside. They attempted to call after him immediately, but even still he continued onward, and with an almighty push, shook the remaining splinters of wood from the doorframe away. He stepped inside into his living room; not caring about the countless shards of glass, wood, and unidentifiable things lying in his way.

He stepped over them all with ease, at last coming to the least damaged part of his apartment; his bedroom.

The knob turned just as it usually did - even _now_ , still without the slight squeak as he had just greased it in annoyance the other day - and Levi pushed it inwards until he was able to slip through. Slamming open his closet and grabbing a travel bag, he ripped his remaining clothes from their hangers and stuffed them into its depths; hissing curses all the while.

His apartment burns down, all of his valuables go up in flames, and yet, the clothes survived. His stupid, useless garments that meant nothing more than a fly to him were the only ones to walk away from this fire.

He scoffed again to himself as he shoved the last, pointless collection of ties into the bag.

Now, the fact that they had costed him hundreds of dollars now seemed like a joke, as if it was possible to regain his lost items in a trade for these silk garments, Levi would have complied in a heartbeat. Hell, he would toss them into the flames himself it was necessary. They were nothing more than scraps of fabric, and more than that, they had no sentimental feeling whatsoever. Levi could literally walk down the street to the department store to purchase them all again if he wanted to. _Literally_. But could he replace that priceless stainless vase he had gotten from Italy? No. No, he couldn't. The fire had taken that away from him, and he could never get it back. And, not to mention, it had also taken many other things as well; too many to name. It had taken practically everything.

 _But not the clothes,_ he reminded himself.

Yes. For some reason, the fire in his apartment had spared his clothes. Perhaps it was the fact that he looked ungodly good in them, and perhaps even still that it was just a cruel joke played by fate, but whatever the case was, Levi was now homeless; his only belongings being a shoulder bag stuffed to the brim with clothes that would be irritatingly wrinkly by the time he found a place to rest for the night.

 _Great,_ he thought. _Just perfect._ Now he could finally trek around town and look for an inn that didn't exist, because Heaven knows that was his lifelong dream. _Finally_ , he could be a street rat again.

As Levi sighed for what seemed like the millionth time - his demeanor calmer than it had been before, but by no means any less pissed - the sound of heavy footsteps alerted him of a presence behind him. It didn't take rocket science to figure out that it was the man he had spoken to earlier.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this," the man told him.

Levi immediately brushed off the attempt at comfort.

"When will my apartment be fixed?" he questioned; still not turning to face the man.

The person in question did not speak for some time, as if considering.

"At least three months," he concluded finally, and Levi replied with an annoyed but affirmative, "Hn."

"I suggest you stay with a friend or relative for the time being."

Levi did not have either of those. Hanji - the annoying brat he had the _privilege_ of working with - did not count.

"The station will alert you with an email once it's been fixed." He took in a breath. "I also suggest you leave before my higher ups force you to do so."

For the first time, Levi turned to the man. As his annoyance was renewed, he said nothing to him in acknowledgement. He did, however, nod; in a general thanks for the information.

Turning swiftly on his heel, Levi stormed back out the way he had come; his surroundings becoming steadily worse the closer he got to the kitchen. Silence hung in the air as he stepped back inside, but without hanging about, he simply pivoted until he was facing the exit, and strode towards it with the bag hanging limply at his side.

Levi's hand grasped the knob, and a strong urge to snap it off instantly overtook him.

Levi's apartment had burned down.

 _And now, he had to search for a place to live._

(AN: I told you guys to talk me out of it, but no one said anything, so I went ahead and started this. To be honest, I think this is a pretty lame prologue, but it'll probably get better once...you know. [Even though it's in the description I feel like I shouldn't spoil it]. Anyway, I hope Levi's decently in character. I've never actually seen AoT, but I fell in love with him, somehow. I don't really know how it happened. Also, as you can see, this chapter had slight swearing. That's pretty much all it's going to be. I personally don't like swearing, so even though Levi apparently does, I won't incorporate it as much as I probably should for the sake of the story. Thanks for reading).


	2. Chapter 1 - The Life of a Single Mother

"Erica, I said I needed those papers by two!" her boss shouted; an angry vein appearing on his forehead. His usually calm features disappeared somewhere within the crease of his brows, and as she tried to explain why she hadn't gotten to them yet, he cut her off with a boisterous and angry, "Why haven't you started them yet?!"

Immediately, she held up her hands in surrender, trying yet again to explain herself. "Sir, I-"

However, before she could finish, another one of her superiors came storming into her corner office. Much like her boss, this man's appearance was unusually disheveled; surprisingly including his constantly neat and professional gray hair. "Erica, I said I needed the report for Tuesday, not Monday! Redo them, and make it quick!" His shrill voice rang into the air like a bell, slicing easily through her eardrums and adding to the headache that was already threatening Erica's collapse.

Rubbing her temples and forcing herself to stay civil, she opened her mouth again, trying to assure him that she would get it done, but was once more unfortunately - not to mention unfairly - cut off by yet another angry person. This one was her young, female assistant; Debbie.

"Erica, if you don't hurry, you'll be late for your meeting!" she informed; her voice slightly cracking from the strain of raising it from its usual gentle hum. Erica's mind spinned. She hadn't known she had a meeting today. Had anyone told her? Was she just not listening?

"Erica! Focus! My reports!" the section leader seethed.

She lifted a pen; deciding to do that first.

"My papers!" her boss cut in.

Never mind. She dropped the pen and turned to her computer.

Erica's assistant timidly put in, "Your meeting, Erica."

Erica put down everything and stood up; fed up with the situation.

"When does my meeting start?" she asked; ever more furiously trying to rub away the dull ache that sat just between her eyes. Her assistance drew in a quick breath before exhaling, "Five minutes, Erica."

"Dammit."

Erica pushed her plush chair away from her at once, leaving it to roll along the smooth ground helplessly until it eventually was stopped by the back wall. Grabbing her jacket, she turned to address her boss and current section leader, giving them each a feisty glare as she wordlessly informed them both that the meeting would come first. With a hiss at her own disorientation, Erica made a grab at her shoulder bag - missing it once, and instead grasping at nothing but air - before she eventually got hold of it and slung it in its designated place over her shoulder. She slammed her laptop shut and stuffed it into the bag.

"Let's go."

Debbie squeaked as Erica immediately began her race to the boardroom; it becoming instantly clear that she wouldn't be catching up to her anytime soon, at least not while in a dress and heels. The young assistant had never seen a woman quite like Erica before; one that could run so fast, and yet still so elegantly, in such high shoes. She was simply something else, and more than be afraid of her boss's current attitude, she found herself admiring her even more. Erica was truly, in every circumstance, unlike the rest.

"Debbie, hurry up. We'll be late."

"Yes Ma'am!"

As Debbie sped up, continuing to admire her boss even as she did so, Erica herself found the world becoming increasingly dim. She could try to start her boss's papers while in the meeting, as that would be needed completed first, but at the same time, she also knew that it was equally important to pay attention and take good notes. Somewhere in her memory, she recalled Debbie briefly informing her that this wouldn't be just any meeting. This was a meeting about the competitors next move; topic of discussion present. She couldn't be late to this, and nor could she afford to let her mind drift to other things. She had to be focused.

Her usual notepad and laptop was nonetheless dragged out from her bag as she sat down anyway.

"Debbie," she hissed; just as the last remaining attendants filed into the room. "I need you to take notes on everything the competitor says so I can look over it later tonight. I need to work on this."

Looking slightly unsure about the situation, but ever still unwilling to go against direct orders, Debbie pulled out her own personal laptop.

"Understood."

Erica nodded in confirmation. The meeting began.

With a heart set on multitasking, Erica began to type furiously on her keyboard; trying her best to seem as unnoticeable as possible. The papers her boss had wanted her to edit were full of mistakes, and, though it was her job as an editor to fix such things, she found herself very burdened by it. Despite the fact that she didn't want to be in the meeting, in truth, she was itching to join in the conversation. As she wasn't paying full attention, Erica only heard bits and pieces of the competitors speeches, but quite honestly, the upcoming changes they spoke of were exciting, to say the least. Right now, instead of messing around with comma positions, she wished she could ask her own, personal questions. She wished she could listen with two ears, instead of one, and put down her boss's work for just long enough to completely grasp how the two separate companies were planning for the coming future. Most of all, she wished she could simply be a part of something more than just a lousy chief editor job.

And, well, getting some decent sleep for once wasn't such a bad wish either.

Right now, she could have been doing a number of things that could positively benefit her, whether they be catching up on needed rest or discussing the future with her company, and yet, she was stuck doing her usual paperwork. It was cruel, and downright unfair, but somehow, Erica couldn't really blame any one single person for it. Today had just been an overall terrible day. Everything had seemed to go wrong, there being no difference between if it had to do with her personal affairs or those at work. Nothing had gone right today. Literally, _nothing_.

And, as she was less than proud to say, it had all started in her little house on the outskirts of the suburbs, with her two four year darling twins that were constantly causing a ruckus, terrible day or not. To explain more fully, let's back up just a bit.

Wednesday, April 4th, 4:30 A.M.. Erica was in the middle of a restless sleep that had only begun just a short few hours before, as she had stayed up late working on an editing job similar to that of which she had gotten later that day. Her eyes barely stayed closed for more than a few minutes at a time, and constantly, she was rolling about across her queen sized bed; lacking comfort. She buried her head in her pillow.

At 4:33, as if in an attempt to have every possible hour of rest taken by the devil, Alexander - the male counterpart of her two four year old twins - woke her up easily with a hefty shake to her left side, a complaint about his recurring nightmares spewing from his lips. He had hobbled in from his shared bedroom with a slight pout; his legs still wobbly as he hadn't grown into them yet, and had climbed up onto her bed with only slight difficulty, as she had recently placed a children's stepladder there to aid them until they were big enough to raise themselves up with their own power. A single tear streamed down his cheek, and he whimpered loudly as he brought his arms up in search of a hug. Erica groaned internally, as she had only gotten an hour or so of sleep at most, but without showing her son how truly exhausted she was, put on a warm smile and gathered him up into her arms.

"It's alright, Sweetie. You can sleep in my bed tonight."

Erica laid the poor boy next to him; running her fingers through his dark brown hair as she did so.

"Everything's fine," she cooed, and Alex returned the close gesture with a contented and sleepy smile as he gripped tightly onto her arm. Snuggling his head into her chest, his whimpers gradually began to fade, until they finally disappeared completely - some hour or so later.

At 5:47 A.M.; the whimpers were gone.

For the rest of the night - or rather, _morning_ \- Erica's eyes stayed wide open, as she could not fall back asleep, no matter how hard she tried. Her slender form tossed and turned for hours, begging herself to descend back into a dream, but she could do nothing but stare at the ceiling as her timid son held onto her for dear life.

Whilst knowing that Alex was sound asleep, she allowed herself to sigh out loud.

"Dammit," she cursed.

At 6:45 A.M., once it was officially morning, Alex woke her up again with a bright expression and the news of a new dream that he had had after he fell asleep for the second time - this one apparently about him as a police officer. Erica tried to smile, and she congratulated him as he told her of his perfect criminal capture, but nothing could hide the bags under her eyes as she looked in the mirror. She looked awful. The fact that she had gotten little to no sleep was showing; and it would affect her for the rest of the day.

She swore in her mind this time, as the young mind in front of her was too fragile for such a thing.

"Breakfast, breakfast!" Alex cried after she emerged from the bathroom; her body clean, and her makeup applied. Erica's unruly dark hair, though already toweled and blow dried, continued to soak her shirt as she limped unwillingly to the kitchen. Knowing her son, he wouldn't settle for an easy bowl of cereal. No. He would want a high class meal; something along the lines of stacked pancakes with whip cream and chocolate chips.

Erica tried to smile again, but found she could not, so instead, she decided to accept her misfortune and just get it over with. With another tired sigh, she pulled out a mixing bowl.

"Mommy, brush hair?"

Audrey - the gender opposite twin - had apparently woken up during all the commotion, despite the fact that she was a heavy sleeper. She held a brush in one hand, and furiously rubbed her eyes with the other; her pink nightgown riding up on one side. Erica ran a hand over the girl's head; feeling the almost blonde strands that accompanied the characteristic Newhall brown that ran in her family. She took the brush from the child's grip.

"How'd you sleep, Sweetie?"

Her husband, of course, had been blonde, so that was the cause of Audrey's hair, but still, whenever Erica looked at it, she always found herself confused. It was so different from Alex's mop of darker than dark locks, and yet, they practically had the same face; excluding the obvious differences that would come with their separate genders. In her opinion, it was downright strange. And, even though she had previously been warned that twins were often going to be unpredictable and unable to comprehend, Erica still found herself increasingly puzzled by it, and unable to let it go. Erica just couldn't figure out how twins worked; even though she had had to handle them for the past four years of her life. Something wasn't clicking.

Perhaps it was the fact that she had been alone in the act of raising them. Maybe that was it.

"Okay," Audrey murmured through a yawn. "But I a little hungry."

 _Even now, Erica couldn't find it in her to correct her grammar mistakes._

"I know Sweetheart. I know. Al's hungry too. But don't worry: I'm making pancakes."

The younger girl smiled at the familiar food name; her single missing tooth dominating her entire grin. Erica patted her head as she brought the brush through her now silky smooth hair one last time.

"Done," she told her; offering a high five as she handed the brush back. "Now go get your brother and brush your teeth."

Audrey nodded and ran off; her little feet padding along the tile floor until she got far enough away that the sound no longer reached Erica's ears, instantly giving her the okay to lean against the counter. Now, as she looked at the clock, it showed that it was 7:15. Only seven o'clock, and yet, Erica felt as if she had already slaved through an entire day at work; extra paperwork from yesterday included. Her head felt heavy, like nothing more than a burden on her neck, and every move she made was increasingly sluggish as she tried to stretch out her wasted joints. All in all, Erica felt like an old lady, though she wasn't nearly anything close to so. And she - as a 24 year old single mother - did not like the feeling.

With a prolonged sigh, she raised herself back up into the proper posture; her hands closing around the necessary ingredients that would soon be dropped into the bowl. Her calloused fingers snagged an egg from the refrigerator, and she cracked it with ease and perfection, after having done so a million times already. Next went in the milk, the oil, the chocolate chips, and so on, and before long - with a quick whip with the whisk - she had a bowl of batter in her hands, which she promptly poured into simple circles onto a previously sprayed pan.

Humming slightly, Erica got out a spatula.

Before long - at around 7:45 - the pancakes were done, and, already knowing how much each of her children were going to eat, she prepared two separate plates accordingly; adding a fair amount of whip cream dabbed on top. She called for them to report to the kitchen, where she propped each plate at the twin's favorite places to sit, and before she knew it, they were both racing in; fighting to be the first to sit down, and grinning from ear to ear.

That is, they _were_ grinning from ear to ear. For, as expected, the smiles stopped when Audrey tripped on Alex's leg.

Only a few feet away from the table loaded with pancakes, the pair of matching four year olds went tumbling down onto the tile floor; creating a thud worthy of a noticeable wince. Erica raced forward, knowing now for certain, after this and the incidents before it, that today wasn't going to go well. She wrapped both of the children into her arms, despite the fact that she was covered in batter, just as they began to cry.

"It's alright," she whispered; planting a kiss to each of their temples. Alex wailed into her sleeve.

While he had gotten the worst of it, Audrey simply seemed to have just been frightened, and Erica deemed instantly that there was nothing to worry about, in her case. Alex, however, looked like he might have a hefty bruise on his leg, and wouldn't be through with his crying for some time. So, Erica gave him an extra kiss while Audrey wasn't looking.

"Come on Sweetie, it's okay. Mommy's here."

That only seemed to make him cry louder. Erica winced again. Then a thought came rolling through her mind.

"Honey, do you remember the dream you were telling me about? The one about you being a big strong policeman?"

Through his constant tears, he nodded, and Erica took the initiative to continue.

"Do you think policemen cry when they fall down?"

He seemed to think about this, as his loud wails stopped for but a moment. His curious eyes - slightly red, after all the crying - stared up at her, as if waiting for her to explain her question. She did.

"I don't think they do," she told him; rubbing his arm. "I think the police officers just get right back up and keep going when they fall. What do you think?"

Alex looked up at her ever still, still confused, but after some time, something seemed to register in his mind. He raised a hand to wipe the remaining tears away, and he shrugged himself off of her lap. He looked at his leg, which was no doubt still paining him, with a determined expression.

"No cry," he told her, and on reflex, instead of the need to comfort him, she nodded.

"You're right, Buddy. No more crying."

Alex stood up completely. Audrey followed suit.

Before long, they seemed to remember that they were hungry. Their gazes simultaneously fell on the pancakes, and again they ran - though a bit slower this time - to their seats, where they began obediently eating without causing any more trouble. Smiling, but not yet forgetting about her exhausted state, Erica strolled back into the kitchen; where she immediately began clean up.

"Don't forget to wash your hands after you're done!" she called.

It was 8:01.

Truth be told, even after all of these events so early in the day, this wasn't exactly an unusual day for the Newhall family. However, even still, Erica already felt strangely drained as it continued to drag on. For some reason, she felt like the events were stacked up upon one another simply to cause her trouble, and, rather than try to welcome it and wish for the best, Erica was becoming increasingly worried. It was only a Wednesday. It was only the middle of the week. She still had three more days left of work, and as she was already exhausted, she couldn't see herself having a phenomenal tomorrow either. Somehow or another, the twins would find a way to keep her up again tonight, even if she didn't have paperwork to finish. They would want to take a bath, or watch a movie, and Erica - already exhausted - wouldn't have the strength to go against them.

Again, she wouldn't get any sleep, and before long, she would turn into a walking zombie that would surely frighten the kids without having the intention to. She needed to stay strong and happy for them. She needed that calm and welcoming atmosphere to be the only thing they ever knew. She couldn't have the fact that they were growing up without a father weighing them down.

Erica needed to be the driving force that kept her two angels going. She needed to be two parents at once, and, despite the troubles she was already having, she felt that she could. Erica thought it was possible to raise them by herself. She really, really did. She believed with all of her heart that they would grow up just the same if they didn't have a father just like all the other kids. She believed that.

And yet, somehow, even as she tried to convince herself, she knew there was no denying the cries she heard from their room at night.

The twins wanted a father; they needed one. And quite honestly, even though she would never admit it out loud, Erica wouldn't exactly mind the help of a husband herself.

She ran a hand through her dark locks; trying to brush her thoughts aside.

 _The clock showed 8:12._

After breakfast, Erica ushered the two twins into their shared room, where they each walked over to their own separate dressers; already used to this routine. Audrey opened her top drawer, pulled out a pair of yellow bumblebee-themed socks, and plopped down on the floor with the intention to get started right away.

Alex, was of course, more trouble, as he sat and stared at all of his available outfit choices for the longest time. Erica wanted to grab the first thing she saw, but for some reason, her son was particularly bothered by such a thing, and did not accept his mother's preferred option for choosing. He stared endlessly at his open drawer of shirts. It was 8:21.

After some time, Audrey finally managed to get her socks on, and - luckily - Alex picked out a suitable outfit just as she withdrew her favorite green dress. Erica helped them both suit up in their own respective clothing, and after she tied a bow in her daughter's hair, per her instruction, she rushed them outside into the garage. Alex and Audrey were given their shoes to be put on in the car, and Erica rushed back into her room one last time to grab her necessary belongings.

"Ready to go?" she asked; glancing yet again at the time.

8:34. She was going to be late.

Wordlessly, she began to drive, and before either of them had had proper time to restrap their velcro laces, they had arrived at the daycare. Erica opened the back door, her phone in hand, already mid text to her assistant and superiors that she would be late, and helped the twins finish off the job as best as she could with only the aid of own arm. She helped the two from the car.

An elderly woman greeted her at the door, and after a quick kiss to their foreheads, the twins disappeared inside.

"Energetic as ever, I see," she mused; taking in the much younger woman's appearance with an instant look of distaste after her eyes fell from the twins.

"You look terrible," she informed, though undoubtedly with a half grin.

Erica sighed again, not for the first time that day, and definitely not for the last. She blew at a rebellious lock of hair that had fallen from her sloppy ponytail.

"I know."

After a quick discussion and a promise to pick them up at four as always, Erica hopped back into her car, where she sped off in pursuit of the office; where three choice people were already waiting for her. She parked sloppily, almost hitting a pedestrian in the process, and did her best to make record time walking the distance from the lot to her corner office.

Her efforts did little to change the angry looks that were on her associates' faces.

"You're late!" her boss scolded, and wordlessly, Erica took the blame as plopped into her seat, yet again taking in the time, which was a heart attack inducing 9:30. She gasped, but did not apologize any more than she had already done over the phone before she got to work. Immediately, she was hit with a pile of work. Again, she cursed.

"Dammit."

Time had passed agonizingly slow, but before long, two hours had flown by, and in that time, from after her initial arrival until then, Erica had received a total of 14 different projects that required her undivided attention; all needed by her boss's office at 8:00 A.M. tomorrow. She had started on all of them, but she was by no means anywhere close to completing a single one, and the thought of all the work they required sent a shiver down her spine. She would have to get up early, despite the fact that she would be staying up even later into the night, and even if the twins caused her trouble, she could not use them as an excuse. She had to be professional. She had to-

"Erica, I said I needed those papers by two!"

 _...And you know this part._

Fast forwarding three hours in a second, Erica was zapped back to the present. It took a few moments before her eyes fully registered. She blinked rapidly, sitting in her chair with her hands still on her laptop, but rather than find them typing away, editing documents, they stayed unmoving and completely docile. It took her another moment to realize that she hadn't gotten any work done. She had been too busy reminiscing.

She drew in a rather painful breath.

As if on cue, one of her superiors from a different section chose that exact moment of panic to call the official dismissal of the board meeting. He stood, gathering his things, and almost as if calling her out on her lack of attention throughout the meeting - especially the last hour of it - glanced pointedly at her. She tried not to look guilty, but probably failed. Turning to Debbie, she asked, "Did you get those notes?"

She nodded a bit worriedly. "I did, but what about you? Halfway through the meeting, you suddenly stopped typing!"

A hiss was exhaled from Erica's throat. For the second time that day, she replied with, "I know."

Standing up, she acted as if she had been mentally present the entire time, and as quickly as possible with her shaking hands, she retrieved her belongings. Her laptop was shut as well, but not before she gazed at the time. A proud 1:57 blazed back at her.

"Crap."

Again she ran the distance back to her office, rather than wait for her assistant to catch up, and as soon as she arrived, she sat herself down and switched her laptop back on. With record speed, she began editing the remaining documents, doing her best to complete a half hour's work in a mere three minutes. Her boss arrived just as she was getting to the last page.

"Erica!" he seethed, and, though she shrunk down in her chair at the tone of his voice, she did not stop typing. "Where are my papers?!"

"Right here, Sir," she told him; still typing. "I just have to finish this last p-"

"You're not done?!"

His voice was higher than it had ever been, and more than she had before, Erica tried to vanish under her desk.

"Erica, you may not have realized, but these documents are really important! If we don't get this in on time, our competitors might take over the market!"

For a moment, she took time to scoff. She didn't want to toot her own horn, but in all seriousness, she was the only good editor around these parts, in both companies. As long as she stayed here, and didn't switch to the competing company, there wasn't even a slim chance that they would overtake the market. The readers ate up anything that had her name on it. There was nothing to worry about. However, since he was her boss, she decided to humor him.

"I know Sir, I'm sorry."

At her sincere apology, his red face flamed down a bit.

"Just," he began; rubbing a hand viciously over his temples, much like she had been doing all day long. "Just get them to me by 2:30. Nothing later."

And with that, he strolled out of the room, shaking his head all the while.

Erica got back to work.

At 2:13, as she was still rushing just as violently as before, Erica printed the large pile of papers, after stamping a large, 'Edited by: Erica Newhall' at the very top. She smirked as she plopped them down onto his desk; his room absent. Then she withdrew back to her own office.

The section leader's reports were easier than she had thought they would be, as Tuesday had been a rather uneventful day in the eyes of what they covered, and Erica finished them within the hour. Again, she got up from her office chair, and after delivering them to the grateful man, once more she returned, now with less important work to do.

Of the 14 other assignments she had been given, six were deemed finished as her personal closing time came around at 3:30. She stuffed all of the remaining documents, if paper, into her usual shoulder bag, and her laptop followed suit, along with any other materials she expected she might need. Debbie had gone out for a coffee break, so Erica wrote a quick note telling her to email the notes from the meeting to her later tonight, and to shut off the lights when she left. With a sigh, she slipped on her jacket, and without giving anyone a proper goodbye, she walked out.

At 3:54, she pulled into the daycare parking lot, where she picked up the once again frazzled twins, and helped them back into their seatbelts. Audrey tried to tell her that a boy had been picking on her today, but, at the exact same time, Alex was already in process of telling her that his friend had made fun of the bruise on his leg, so Erica retained a total of zero information. She did of course, note that none of their tales were good ones, so, she at least had a bit of confidence in her words of advice as she said, "I'm sure tomorrow will be better."

They drove home in silence; or as close to silence as you're going to get with two four year olds in the backseat. Erica pulled into her driveway and into the garage, yet again having to get out first to help them both out of their seats. They walked into the house together.

It was around 4:30 when she sat herself back down with the rest of her work. Then, it was around 8:30 when she finished. Pulling out her laptop, she spent the next half an hour reviewing Debbie's notes with little care, until finally, at 9:00, she decided she should get her kids into bed.

Helping them brush their teeth, she pulled pajamas over their heads, and helped them hop up into their separate child-sized beds. Audrey's was yellow, and Alex's was orange, but with Erica's ever disoriented mind, they looked like the same shade, even with the light on. She placed a kiss on each of their foreheads, successfully convinced them that she was too tired to tell a bedtime story, and then hobbled out back to her own room, where she would hopefully get more rest than she had gotten yesterday.

A few minutes later - she refused to look at the time - Erica settled into her comforters in a silk nightgown, thinking over her day once again. It had dragged on for longer than she thought possible, and now, after she slept, she would probably have to do it all over again. Briefly, she remembered that she had to get up early. Her eyes drooped.

The last thing she thought of before she descended into sleep was what she had told her children earlier that day after she picked them up from daycare. Now, she realized, it applied more to her than it ever would for them. While they were still at a carefree age, where most of their activities went completely unremembered, Erica was at a point in her life where things were starting to matter. Where, if she didn't start making some tough decisions, she would be lost forever as a single old woman after her children grew up and left her. She hoped it wasn't necessary to address that that wasn't what she wanted for her life.

Erica yawned.

Sleepily, she stared up at the ceiling for as long as she could keep her eyes open.

 _Yeah,_ she decided. _She could use a better tomorrow._

(AN: Just want to note that this was 5,300 words, and that I will _not_ be putting this much dedication into other chapters. Why did I even do this much, I wonder. Anyway, I thought about waiting to publish this until I had a few more chapters, but I couldn't wait. Comment and tell me if you want to read more. I'm personally excited for them to meet. :3 )


	3. Chapter 2 - Undoubtedly Intrigued

For Levi Ackerman, things had always gone perfectly. He worked hard to gain what he wanted, and he received what he thought he deserved. He had the entire world begging at his feet; containing countless women who adored him, and countless men who admired him. He was gifted with the intelligence of five normal men, the looks of a god, the strength of a herculean, and, only to be truthful, a hefty amount of luck that always played in his favor.

If he was walking by, the crowds would disperse to let him through. If he wanted something, it was given to him. If he wished to change something; any aspect about his life, his job, or the people around him, it was changed. That was just how it worked for Levi Ackerman; just how it had always been. He never ran into problems. He never had to worry about anything more concerning than what he was to eat for breakfast. Simply because he was Levi Ackerman, nothing went wrong. And that was the way it should have stayed.

Of course, Levi personally worried about many assorted things. He became frantic with anything that concerned work - always dead set on making it the work of perfection - and the thought of even a speck of dust within a 100 meter radius disgusted him. He worried about what he would do if things didn't turn out, and he constantly gave others a hard time, whilst not really caring one way or another if his actions would one day bounce back to hurt him. In any case, despite the fact that he worried constantly, everything always turned out well for him in the end. If he cleaned, though he was paranoid about it, there simply was no dust. If he put his all into the papers he wrote, and the performance he displayed, he would not get fired. That was how the world worked. Even if he worried, it would change nothing. Simply because he was Levi Ackerman, things would all turn out alright.

In the end, it wouldn't be untrue to say that Levi was rather used to this strange routine of constant success, for truly, after a certain amount of time, he began to expect it. He knew, deep inside, that even if he threw his own dedication to the curb, he would still be rewarded. He knew that he had been blessed with this good fortune, and, though he hadn't the faintest clue as to why, he knew it to be certain. Levi was sure that everything would always go well for him; that was what he believed, and what _seemed_ to be true.

Though, it wasn't like that was all he had _ever_ known.

As a child, his life hadn't exactly been the greatest. Of course, for his sake, I won't go into detail, but let's just say that his parental figures weren't the peachiest of people - if you could even say that he had any - and for many years, it had been believed by the already uptight boy that his bad luck would never clear up. Every turn he took seemed to be the wrong one, and no matter what he did, he simply could not seem to find a single person that would accept him for who he was; someone to aid him in his time of need. Nothing seemed to turn in his favor.

After some experimentation, it became horribly clear that the Levi of that time was drowned in misfortune, and as the painfully long days passed by without any real purpose, it seemed that it would never come to an end. However, as fate would have it, things did eventually come through for the boy. He struggled through his childhood until he was old enough to legally work for an income, and from there, steadily made his way onto the path of Heaven. Throughout the years, he had picked up bits and pieces of what normal kids his age were learning, so he was at the very least decently well-versed in the normal requirements. But, as that wasn't really enough, he ended up attending a few college courses at a tender age.

Perhaps at 16, he was a bit _too_ young, but as there were constantly a number of creases in his brow, and a deep ever present frown covering whatever happy features he may have once contained, the administrators could not exactly complain. Despite their better judgment, they let him - who they soon found to be the best student they had ever worked with, disregarding his background - study at their school, and it was there where he picked up anything he did not already know. For a short period, the only thing you could find him doing was studying, even while working, and for that very same period, it was even harder to approach him than normal. You could walk up him, scream in his ear - even _touch_ him - and he wouldn't even notice. His concentration was both admirable and terrifying, and from it, he was able to gather the strength to graduate at the top of his class, even though he hadn't had a proper education up until that point.

From there, things began to really turn up for the young Ackerman. A company hired him within the first month after he had graduated, and for five plentiful years, he had stayed with it - hefty pay and all, all the while. He began renting an apartment, and all had seemed well for quite some time. He was content, and the sun was finally shining down on him, metaphorically _and_ literally, as he had moved to a brilliantly pleasant location, and for once in his life, he was actually... _happy_.

But of course, such emotions don't often last.

At 23, Levi had a rundown with the police. He had seen a man take off with the purse of an old defenseless woman earlier that day, and for whatever reason - even now, he still had no idea why he did what he did - Levi took off after him. He didn't know where the sudden sense of justice had come from, or why he couldn't stop his feet from moving, but whatever the case may have been, that day, Levi hadn't stopped until he caught that man. With an almighty leap, he had disgracefully tackled the felon to the rough concrete, and, after a short skirmish, arrived victorious; a for the most part intact purse in his hands. Of course, he was wrongfully accused of being the purse snatcher when the police found it in them to arrive, but as he had just accomplished the first good deed in his past 20 some years, Levi found that he wasn't as irritated as he could have been. Obviously, he was beyond annoyed that the idiots down at the station couldn't realize what the situation was without having it spelled out for them, but rather than be actually upset, Levi found that he was feeling strangely... _inspired_. There had been a certain rush of something in him when he had gone after that man, and whether it be the high of adrenaline or the thrill of the kill, he soon came to the conclusion that he wanted to experience it again; no matter what. In a matter of less than a month, Levi had quit his original job, and began working for the police station.

At first, as anything would be, it was beyond strange. It was an unfamiliar environment, and the majority of the workers there were complete idiots compared to the scholars he had been meshed and partnered with for the past five years. However, it was strangely calming, and the look of terror he received from the less daring officers sent a pleasant chill down his spine. He knew that he would find he liked it there. And, now, almost six years later, he knew that he was right.

Levi absolutely adored being a police officer. You could tell, simply because despite the awful co workers, and despite the seemingly pointless paperwork he found himself constantly filling out, he had never left. Of course, it was beyond tiring, and he never had time to himself anymore, but even still, the feeling of being a part of this strange family comforted him. The job was both a million times worse and a million times better than the one he used to have, and, as the pay was relatively the same, he wasn't really complaining. Levi now had a good head on his shoulders. He had a passion, and he was finally able to sink into an environment with ease. Finally, here at this police station, things were going right for him. And for almost six years - as already noted - it had stayed that way.

There were no troubles, simply because he was Levi Ackerman. The men and women alike at the station had learned his name early on, and it had become both a title of utmost respect, as well as a title of utmost terror. Everyone knew him. Everyone cared about him, at least enough to gossip, and it was perfect. He had no worries other than the normal everyday complications of police work. He didn't have to concern himself with a thing, because it was all laid out perfectly for him. With the way things were heading, nothing could possibly go wrong.

And it was then, just as that thought ran through his mind, that his apartment burned down.

That day, Levi returned home after buying groceries to countless piles of his own demolished belongings. He salvaged only a duffle bag of clothes, and he had no immediate plans of shelter for the night. To put frosting on the cake, there wasn't a hotel close enough to accommodate how early he needed to arrive at work, and to finish it all off, he was fairly certain he had forgotten his grocery bag at his apartment; a place he had just been firmly told he could not return to for three months at least. He was screwed; so very screwed.

 _And all because he was Levi Ackerman._

"Woah! Levi, your hair is all wet!" his (unfortunate) co-worker Hanji oh so intelligently stated; leaning on the edge of his desk as intrusively as she dared. Levi made a, 'tsk' sound.

She continued, "I can't believe it. Did you actually take a shower here? I thought you said public showers were too filthy."

It was true; both of her statements. He _had_ taken a shower at the station, despite what he so obviously felt about such a thing, and he _had_ \- of course - previously stated that he believed anything that involved the cleansing of one's body in a shared space to be utterly disgusting. He had done both, and as he was not exactly feeling the happiest about the situation himself, Hanji's accusation was not serving to make him the happiest camper.

"Seriously though," she began again, as his head fell to rest on his open palm. "Did you? I just can't picture it. Like, did you wear shower shoes or something, at least?" _Regrettably, no._ He didn't have access to such a thing, as they had been among his belongings to disappear in the fire, and it wasn't like he was just going to waltz into a store to buy some as early as he had arrived here. He doubted any stores would have even been open at that time; at least not ones that would actually contain the product he needed. So, no, again, he hadn't.

"Man, Levi, sometimes I think you're changing your personality. One second you're uptight and stingy, and the next you're staring dreamily into your tea…"

"Brat, you know full well I have done no such thing."

"Right, right, just checking to see if you were listening."

The two soon descended into a half understandable, half uncomfortable silence, and Levi took the time to relish in his own sorrows, or, at the very least, to think yet again with a more level headed mind about his situation. It had been a day since he had first discovered that his apartment had gone up in flames, and, as he hadn't actually looked into it, he wasn't any closer to finding a space to live in for the next three months. His mind was constantly on the topic, of course, but as the solution continued to evade him, he just didn't see the point in trying anymore. It wasn't like he could ask anyone here at the the station, and randomly pulling someone from off the street wasn't any better an option. Levi didn't have a clue as to what he should do. And, though he so wished something would come up, it didn't seem like it ever would. Honestly, he was beginning to lose hope.

As usual, the police station was terribly lively. People were bustling about, according to their own specific duties, and many desks were missing their usual occupants due to daily patrols. A good third of the official squad vehicles were also missing from the garage, as if to affirm the previous point, and it seemed to Levi - as it did on every other day - that the station was similar to a well-oiled machine. Sure, it was often too frantic for comfort, but even still, everyone in that station had a purpose; including him. Everyone knew what their assignment was, and everyone knew what that they had to do to complete it, and to keep their jobs. Everyone was sure of themselves; of what they were doing. They knew, relatively speaking, what tomorrow would bring, and they were prepared for it.

Levi had been no exception, while he worked here.

He knew what he was doing, and he knew that he was doing it well. He knew how to take charge of any situation, and he, most of all the other officers, knew how to handle any given circumstance expertly. His performance was without flaw, every day. He didn't make mistakes; he picked up for the others that did. And nothing, as it had seemed at that time, could have changed that. So why, then, did a little house fire throw him off balance?

It wasn't exactly that his performance was failing because he was so worried about his next course of action, but more so, that his usual preparedness was not making an appearance. He thought he was ready for anything, and yet, somehow, the thought of a blown fuse in his kitchen had never crossed his mind. Of course, Levi had planned for the possibility of a high speed chase. He was ready to shoot a man in self defense. He did not flinch when asked to go on a month long undercover mission. All of these things - and many more - had become second nature, and surely, were more difficult than searching for someone to stay with for a fourth of the year. However, somehow, he just couldn't wrap his mind around the current events, and more than damage his career, it was damaging his pride.

The longer he waited, the more he couldn't stand the thought of asking someone such a request. Even just running it through his mind was becoming painful, and with every second he wasted practicing on himself, he was making it worse. Levi simply couldn't do it. He couldn't stoop down to that level again. He had worked too hard; come too far. He would not let himself fall to such an extent. He would just have to tough it out. He would just have to-

"Hey Levi, I just remembered something!"

And yet the thought of living on the streets was more painful to bear than asking another for help.

Even more than the thought of such a blow to his proud nature, the concept of sleeping in odd places about town - perhaps even in his office - and constantly taking showers at the station disgusted him. Much like the former, the thought of the latter was vile, and Levi found that he could hardly stomach it. He knew that he would have to ask someone. He knew that, because he simply couldn't bear a life like that again. But somehow, even still, unlike the capture of a renowned serial killer, the act was unceasingly difficult.

Again, his mind turned to the option of Hanji. She was around his age, and she worked in the same department, so it was likely to assume that she was able to afford a decent home. She probably had access to a shower, and, even if she had to share it with other members of her flat, it was better than the grangey germ hole that was the station's facilities. Plus, she probably had cleaning supplies, so if need be, he could bring those with him.

Hanji had a... _decent_ head on her shoulders. Despite being spontaneous, and all around disturbing, she had gotten this job just as he had, and for that, some recognition must be given. Her features, from her auburn hair to her strangely thick rimmed glasses, were all average, and Levi was at least _half_ sure that she would snag a husband before the time she was 35. She was as intelligent as she could be, and from what he had heard, though he hadn't looked into it, especially adept in science. She was usually found happy, and, as he would guess, would be perfectly willing to take him in for a while; or for as long as need be. Hanji, truly, was his best option right now. And yet, despite all of this, and the heavenly chance at an affirmed place of shelter, he still couldn't stand the thought of it.

Despite his praise, it was a known fact to everyone in the station that he despised Hanji. He hated everything she did, every move she made, and he loathed even the sight of her. She constantly bothered him - so much that he often lost concentration _entirely_ , and that didn't often happen - and he was sure that if he allowed himself to stay in her presence for every waking hour of the day, she would never leave him alone.

The time he had after work was, and had always been, _his_ time. It was when he let himself loose, sprawled out on the couch until he found the position too unprofessional, even while alone, and was able to think in silence. He could get up and go where he wanted at his own leisure. He could go to the gym, to the store; anywhere, and it wouldn't matter. There, after work, Levi was on his time. And it was absolutely heavenly.

If he was to give that to Hanji, he was sure that he would not come out of the next three months undamaged. Slowly, his peace of mind would diminish, and before long, he would bring his constant discomfort to work along with him, where he would perform sloppily, and gradually build up to the point of his demise. He would get fired, and then, even if his apartment was already rebuilt, it wouldn't be worth it. Soon, it wouldn't even be his, if he couldn't afford it, and the whole endeavor would have become completely useless, as only misfortune came out of it. He would have to continue living with Hanji until the very day he died; working at some low end convenience store to aid her, if only slightly, with his expenses. His hair would turn gray prematurely. The creases in his forehead would become so prominent that he could store credit cards in them. And slowly, ever so painfully, he would deteriorate until the very moment he ceased to exist.

That was the life he was headed for, if he chose to stay with Hanji. Despite being slightly over dramatic, it was frighteningly true, and Levi, cautious man as he was, wasn't about to take any chances. A single look over at the bespeckled woman, who was now close to drooling, affirmed his fears. Without a doubt, he knew it for certain. There was _no way_ he would ever stoop down to live with her.

But the question still did remain: _If not her, then who?_

"Levi, are you even listening?"

As he was snapped out of his thoughts, Levi turned to Hanji; half annoyed at himself for apparently not hearing her beforehand, and half annoyed at her for talking to him in the first place. He gave her an irritated questioning look; showing that he was in fact, listening, but he wasn't happy about it.

Hanji sighed, saying, "Finally," with a slight shiver. She continued instantly. "Anyway, as I was saying, Erwin told me to pass on a message of your next assignment to you."

Levi looked outwardly unfazed, despite the fact that that wasn't what he had been expecting in the least.

"Which is…?"

"A one night undercover mission," Hanji informed; chewing on the end of what appeared to be a black twizzler. "There is to be a convention held this Friday, joining together two competing editing firms. All of their top employees and officials will be attending, and we've been hired to supervise. Apparently, someone has a personal vendetta against the head of one of the companies, so they're a little worried that that person - or persons - might make a move with the cover of the commotion." She took a break to pause and breathe deeply. " _Probably_ , nothing will go wrong, but they still want a few undercover officers present to watch over things. You've been selected, because, well, you're you, and I will also be attending, if that makes you feel any better."

 _Did that make him feel better?_ he asked himself. _No._

"Anyway, like I said, it's this Friday, and from I heard, it's going to be formal attire, so you have to dress nicely. I'll inform you of the location later, but plan on having the time slot of five to two - P.M. to A.M. - taken."

Levi nodded.

"Also, there's a girl that will be attending that I want you to meet. Not for any... _work_ related reasons, but…"

"Are you seriously trying to set me up?"

"Um...no...?"

Even though she was trying to hide it, Levi could easily hear the tremor in her voice that came along whenever she was trying to hide something from him. She looked around, as if sheepish, and he stared gloomily at the floor. Sure, a quick drink with a beautiful woman might take his mind off of a few things, but it _so_ wasn't what he needed right now.

"Look Hanji-" he began irritably, only to be quickly cut off.

"Come on, Levi! You haven't even seen her yet, so promise me you'll give her a chance! I went to high school with her, and she was a great girl. I saw her name by chance on the list of all those attending, and I called her up right away. Turns out, she's a chief editor! Her name is on every paper!"

As Hanji shoved what looked like a common newspaper in her face, Levi barely had time to read the name, 'Erica Newhall' before she roughly withdrew it again. Vaguely, he recalled seeing the name before, but could not put a face to it.

"Not to mention," she continued, "She's not only an editor, but a writer too! You should read her work!"

Like that would ever happen. He didn't have time for such things.

"She's phenomenal, really. I could only dream of ever being that good."

Sure, whatever. He could probably do better.

"You two geniuses totally need to meet!"

Yeah, _totally._

"Anyway, Levi, I need to get back to my reports, but think about what I said, okay? Erica Newhall; chief editor. At the very least, say hi, alright?"

"Right, of course," he told her; pretending to be uninterested.

Raising an eyebrow at his lack of care, Hanji then took her leave; dropping a few black string-like things as she did, almost purposefully, just to annoy him. After picking one up, Levi could affirm for certain that they were twizzlers. He scowled as he dropped the lot of them into the trash bin; spraying a bit of disinfectant in the general area in which they had fallen as he did so.

It wasn't that he believed they were poisoned or anything, but he wasn't going to take any chances. Levi definitely didn't need an infestation of sugar ants to top off his recent storm of bad luck.

Slowly, he spun back in his chair to his own reports; sighing as he did so, but soon found that he could not concentrate on them in slightest. For some reason, though he had tried to deny it while Hanji was present, the woman she spoke of... _intrigued_ him. After all, it wasn't often that he heard of anyone even close to his caliber of genius. Even the thought of it was undoubtedly foreign. It just didn't happen. And anyway, perhaps, just maybe, if she had any interest in him at all, he could…

 _Well, at least he could hope._

With a definite click on his laptop, he opened a search browser. And, without restraint, searched two words whose origin had been bothering him ever since Hanji mentioned it, despite the aloofness he showed on the outside.

 _Erica Newhall._


End file.
